Support for devices for internally treating moving can bodies



Aug. 28, 1956 J. F. HAWKINS 2,760,465

SUPPORT FOR DEVICES FOR INTERNALLY TREATING MOVING CAN BODIES Filed March 25, 1955 3 Sheets-$heet l IN V EN TOR.

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SUPPORT FOR DEVICES FOR INTERNALLY TREATING MOVIYNG CAN BODIES Filed March 25, 1955 3 Sheets-$heet 2 'IIILIIIIIII \llillll/g IIIEHIII mum" Aug. 28, 1956 J. F. HAWKINS 2,760,465

SUPPORT FOR DEVICES FOR INTERNALLY TREATING MOVING CAN BODIES Filed March 25, 1955 I5 Sheets-Sheet 3 Z6 2i [2 E United States Patent SUPPORT FOR DEVICES FOR INTERYALLY TREATING MOVING CAN BODIES James F. Hawkins, Union, N. J., assignor to American Can Company, New York, N. Y., a corporation of New Jersey Application March 25, 1955, Serial No. 496,892

4 Claims. (Cl. 118-317) The present invention relates to can body treating machines having devices such as spraying devices and the like over which can bodies are telescopedfor treating their interior surfaces and has particular reference to improved means for supporting the spraying devices.

This is a continuation-in-part of my United States application Serial Number 321,693, filed November 20, 1952, on Support for Devices for Internally Treating Moving Can Bodies, now expressly abandoned.

An object of the invention is the provision in a can treating machine of devices for supporting an internally disposed spray head wherein the can bodies to be internally sprayed readily pass over the spray head without being engaged or otherwise interfered with by the support devices so that the can bodies arein no way dam aged or marred by the support devices.

Another object is the provision of such support devices wherein twin parallel helical screws rotating in opposite directions are utilized to support the spray head so that the spray head is retained in a central posit-ion against lateral shifting without interfering with the passage of the can bodies over the head.

Another object is the provision of such support devices which may be made to compensate for the weight of the spray head through the proper direction of IO- tation of the helical screws, the rotation of the screws for light weight spray heads being efiected. in such a direction as to draw the spray head down against the screws and for heavy weight spray heads being efiected in an opposite direction to buoyantly support the head on the screws.

Another object is the provision of such support devices wherein adequate space is provided around the spray head to permit of readily cooling heat treated can bodies passing over the head.

Numerous other objects and advantages of the invention Will be apparent as it is better understood from the. following description, which, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, discloses a preferred embodiment thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure l is a transverse sectional view of principal parts of a can body treating machine including the instant invention, with parts broken away;

Fig. 2 is a vertical section taken substantially along the line 22 in Fig. l, with parts broken away;

Fig. 3 is a horizontal section taken substantially along the line 3--3 in Fig. 1, with parts broken away;

:Fig. 4 is a fragmentary perspective view of a portion of the spray head and support parts attached thereto;

Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig; 1 showing a modified form of the invention in which the spray head support screws rotate in a direction opposite to that shown in Fig. l; and

Fig. 6 is a view similar to Fig. 3 and showing the spray head support screws illustrated in Fig. 5.

As a preferred or exemplary embodiment of the instant invention the drawings disclose principal parts of the side 'ice seam spraying portion of a can body making machine such as that disclosed in United States Patent 2,220,107 issued November 5, 1940, to W. M. Holloway on Apparatus for Soldering and Striping Can Seams. In sucha machine, sheet metal cylindrical can bodies A (Fig. 1) having interfolded and soldered longitudinal side seams B are produced from flat blanks and their freshly soldered seams are stripe coated on the inside of the bodies with a film of coating material as the can bodies are advanced through the machine in a substantially continuous procession.

'The can bodies A are advanced through the machine in spaced and timed relation in end-to-end arrangement with their longitudinal axes in horizontal alignment. For this purpose the can bodies are advanced along a pair of spaced and parallel longitudinal magnetic rails 11 (Figs. 1 and 2) which constitute a supporting horn. These rails 11' are secured to and depend angularly from a pair of longitudinal horn members 12, preferably disposed radially of the can bodies. The horn rails 11- hold the can bodies A in suspension by magnetic attraction, the bodies depending from the rails as shown in Fig. 1. The horn members 12 which support the rails 11 are secured to a bracket 13 attached to arms 14" which extend up from a longitudinal frame 15 constituting a portion of the main frame of the machine.

The can bodies A are propelled along the horn rails 11 by an endless chain conveyor 18 having gripper or feed dogs 19 attached thereto at spaced intervals for en-' gaging behind and gripping the can bodies. The con- Veyor 18 is driven continuously by a sprocket 21' mounted on a cross-shaft 22 locatedat the discharge end of the machine and rotated in any suitable manner, such as disclosed in the Holloway patent mentioned above. The lower run of the conveyor 18. is guided adjacent the path of travel of the can bodies. by supporting rollers 25- disposed on opposite sides of the conveyor adjacent the gripper dogs 19. These rollers ride in longitudinal grooves or tracks. 26 formed in the horn members 12, the gripper dogs 19 depending below the horn members. to grip the can bodies. The upper run of the conveyor 18 is supported on a. guide rail. 27 which. is mountedon brackets 28 secured to the bracket 13.

The stripe spraying of the side seams B1 on the in side surfaces of the can bodies A preferably is effected by a spray head 31 (Fig. 2) having a discharge nozzle. 32 from which an. atomizedfluid coating material isprojected againt the seams. This spray head 31 is disposed; adjacent the horn rails 11 andin the path of travel of the can. bodies, being in substantial. alignment. with the longitudinal axes of the bodies so that the bodies may readily pass over' the spray head telescopically.

The spray head 31 is: attached to the discharge end of a long tube 33 which extends. parallelwith the horn rails 11, back toward the can body entrance end of the, machine to a station in the machine justprior to the sta-v tion where the side seamis closed, so that the tube may be solidly supported at this end. The tube 33 contains small pipes 34.which respectively transmit the fluid coating material and compressed air, from any suitablesource; of supply to the spray head nozzle 32.

In order to support the free length of the tube 33, which is encircled by, the can bodies, A advancing in spaced and processional order along the. horn rails 11, one or more support devices are provided and are located one adjacent the spray head131- and as manyas. required located between the head and the fixed end, of the tube, dependingupon the length of the tube. 'I'hese support devices include a pair of spaced. and parallel helicalsupport screws 36 (Figs. 1, 2 and3) which are disposed parallel with and below the tube, one screw be ing located on each side of the tube. These. screws 36 are mounted on a pair of spaced and parallel shafts 37 the ends of which are journaled in bearings 38 formed in side webs of a bracket 39 secured to the frame 15.

The support screws 36 are formed with relatively small diameter hubs 40 from which extend relatively high or deep oppositely disposed right and left hand helical threads 41, one screw having a right hand thread while the other has a left hand thread. These threads project into the path of travel of the can bodies. The pitch of the screws is slightly greater than the length of a can body A so that the can bodies will readily fit between longitudinally aligned portions of the threads. The peripheral edges of the helical threads preferably are flat and engage against and ride on a pair of longitudinal spaced and parallel rollers 43 (Figs. 1 and 4) which are disposed one on each side of and adjacent the spray tube 33. The ends of the rollers are formed with trunnions 44 which are journaled in bearings 45 in ring or clamp brackets 46 which in turn are clamped around the spray tube 33 as best shown in Fig. 4. The lower portion of the spray tube preferably is bent inwardly as shown in Fig. l to provide concave clearance pockets for the rollers 43.

In this manner the two screws 36 with the outer periphcries of the threads 41 engaging against the freely rotatable rollers 43 support the spray tube 33 and retain the tube and the spray head 31 attached thereto in a centralized position substantially coincident with the longitudinal axis of the can bodies A. The screws 36 while thus supporting the spray tube 33, are rotated in opposite directions in time with each other and in time with the advancement of the can bodies A along the horn rails 11.

Where the spray tube 33 is of comparatively lightweight, the screws 36 preferably are rotated in a direction inwardly and downwardly in relation to the tube as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, i. e. the screw on the right in Fig. 1 being rotated in a counterclockwise direction and the screw on the left being rotated in a clockwise direction, so as to draw the tube down toward the screws to insure continuous contact of the tube rollers 43 with the screw threads 41. The screw shafts 37 carry driving sprockets 48 through which the shafts and the screws are rotated.

Rotation of the screws 36 is eifected preferably by an endless chain 51 which operates over one of the sprockets 48 and under the other sprocket 48. The chain 51 also operates over an idler sprocket 52 and a driving sprocket 53. The idler sprocket 52 is mounted on a stud 54 ca ried in the bracket 39. The driving sprocket 53 is mounted on a shaft 55 journaled in a bearing 56 in a gear box 57 supported on the bracket 39. Inside the gear box 57 the shaft 55 carries a miter gear 59 (Fig. 3) which meshes with and is driven by a miter gear 61 carried on a shaft 62 journaled in a bearing 63 formed in the gear box. The shaft 62 extends toward the can body conveyor 18 and carries a sprocket 65 (see Figs. 1 and 2) which meshes with and is driven by the lower run of the conveyor. Through this connection with the conveyor 18, the support screws 36 are rotated in time. with the advancement of the feed dogs 19 and the can bodies gripped thereby.

Where the spray tube 33 is comparatively heavy it tends to wedge between the screws 36 and cause excessive wear on the support rollers 43. This ditficulty is readily overcome by interchanging the screws 36 i. e. by substituting the one on the left (Fig. 1) for the one on the right, and the one on the right for the one on the left, as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, and rotating them in the opposite directions from that shown in Figs. 1 and 3. The screws rotated in these directions, i. e. outwardly and upwardly, the one on the right (Fig. 5) rotating in a clockwise direction and the one on the left rotating in a counterclockwise direction, buoys the spray tube 33 upwardly and thereby causes it to lightly float on the screw threads 41.

Fig. 3.

In order to bring about this reversal of the direction of rotation of the screws 36 as shown in Figs. 5 and 6, the bevel gear 59 driven by the gear 61 in the gear box 57 (Fig. 3) is replaced by a bevel gear 71 (Fig. 6) which is mounted on the shaft 55 in a position in reverse of that of the gear 59 so that the direction of rotation of the shaft 55 in Fig. 6 is the reverse of that shown in The shaft 55 thus rotates in a clockwise direction as viewed in Fig. l, and the screw sprockets 37 thus rotate in the proper direction to rotate the screws 36 in the directions indicated by the arrows in Fig. 5.

Hence when a can body A, propelled in suspended relation to and along the horn rails 11 by the conveyor 18, approaches the spray tube support screws 36, it enters the longitudinal or pitch space of the helical threads 41 of the screws and continues its advancement over the spray head 31 without interfering with the screws while the spray head 31 is continuously supported by the latter, the helical threads 41 of the screws engaging the tube support rollers 43 in front of and behind the advancing can body to effect this continuous support of the spray head. The rotation of the screws 36 toward each other and toward the spray tube 33 maintains the spray tube .and its spray head in a predetermined centralized position with respect to the longitudinal can body axes.

Where an external treatment of the advancing can bodies A is required simultaneously with the internal treatment, such as the cooling of the side seam area of the freshly soldered can bodies, the twin screw support 36 for the spray tube 33 permits of sufficient open space around the can body to circulate a cooling medium such as air. For this purpose Fig. 1 of the drawings illustrate a conventional cooling duct 67 such as shown in the above mentioned Holloway patent. The duct is dis posed between the screws 36 and usually extends for considerable distance along the path of travel of the can bodies.

It is thought that the invention and many of its attendant advantages will be understood from the foregoing description, and it will be apparent that various changes may be made in the form, construction and arrangement of the parts without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention or sacrificing all of its material advantages the form hereinbefore described being merely a preferred embodiment thereof.

I claim:

1. in a machine for treating can bodies on the interior thereof, the combination of a horn for supporting the can bodies, a conveyor for advancing the can bodies alsong said horn, an elongated treating element disposed adjacent said horn in the path of travel of said can bodies so that the bodies pass over and around said element in telescopic relation thereto for interior treatment of said bodies, a pair of spaced and parallel support screws dispcsed adjacent the path of travel of said can bodies, said screws respectively having oppositely directed helical threads engaging at their peripheries against and supporting between them said treating element, said threads haviug a pitch greater than the length of said can bodies for accommodation of individual can bodies therebetween, and means for rotating said screws in opposite directions in time with the movement of said conveyor with the threads at the region of their engagement with said treating element rotating inwardly and downwardly for supporting said treating element in a predetermined position and for maintaining the element in peripheral contact with said screw threads without interfering with the advancement of said can bodies along said horn and over and around said treating element.

2. in a machine for treating can bodies on the interior thereof, the combination of a horn for supporting the can bodies, a conveyor for advancing the can bodies along said horn, an elongated treating element disposed adjacent said horn in the path of travel of said can bodies so that the bodies pass over and around said element in telescopic relation thereto for interior treatment of said bodies, a pair of freely rotatable spaced and parallel rollers carried on said treating element, a pair of spaced and parallel support screws respectively having oppositely directed helical threads engaging at their peripheries against said rollers for supporting said treating element between said screws, said threads having a pitch greater than the length of said can bodies for accommodation of individual can bodies therebetween, and means for rotating said screws in opposite directions in time with the movement of said conveyor for supporting said elongated treating element in a predetermined position and for maintaining the element in peripheral contact with said screw threads without interfering with the advancement of said can bodies along said horn and over and around said treating element.

3. In a machine for treating can bodies on the interior thereof, the combination of a horn for supporting the can bodies, an endless chain conveyor having spaced feed dogs thereon for advancing the can bodies along said horn, an elongated treating element disposed adjacent said horn in the path of travel of said can bodies so that the bodies pass over and around said element in telescopic relation thereto for interior treatment of said bodies, a pair of spaced and parallel support screws disposed adjacent the path of travel of said can bodies, said screws respectively having oppositely directed helical threads engaging at their peripheries against and support ing between them said treating element, said threads having a pitch greater than the length of said can bodies for accommodation of individual can bodies therebetween, driving means for rotating said screws in opposite directions for supporting said elongated treating element in a predetermined position and for maintaining the element in peripheral contact with said screw threads, and a sprocket meshing with said endless chain conveyor and connected with said driving means for rotating said screws in time with the advancement of said conveyor feed dogs and said can bodies propelled thereby along said horn and over and around said treating element.

4. In a machine for treating can bodies on the interior thereof, the combination of a horn for supporting the can bodies, a conveyor for advancing the can bodies along said horn, an elongated treating element disposed adjacent said horn in the path of travel of said can bodies so that the bodies pass over and around said element in telescopic relation thereto for interior treatment of said bodies, a pair of spaced and parallel support screws disposed adjacent the path of travel of said can bodies, said screws respectively having oppositely directed helical threads engaging at their peripheries against and supporting between them said treating element, said threads having a pitch greater than the length of said can bodies for accommodation of individual can bodies therebetween and means for rotating said screws in opposite directions in time with the movement of said conveyor with the threads at the region of their engagement with said treating element rotating outwardly and upwardly for supporting said treating element in a predetermined position and for maintaining the element in peripheral contact with said screw threads without interfering with the advancement of said can bodies along said horn and over and around said treating element.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,604,133 Rebechini Oct. 26, 1926 2,206,801 Aulbach July 2, 1940 2,220,107 Holloway Nov. 5, 1940 2,305,387 Pearson Dec. 15, 1942 2.630.904 Bozek Mar. 10. 1953 

